Well, here I am stuck at work late Sunday (deadlines loom) watching ice crystals form while temp testing. So I thought I would spend time starhopping in my head.
| Location | Lone Rock flat, Lake Sonoma |
|---|---|
| Weather | Very windy and suprisingly cold (all right call me a wimp) |
| Seeing/Trans. | 4-5/10, 7/10 |
| Equipment | C8 (and what ever else I could mooch a look through) |
I showed up late, about 8pm (this time I remembered to turn off the lights before entering the lot) and started to set up. There was quite a crowd, Robert Leyland, David Silva and David Simmons(?), and a few others my sieve of a memory can't recall, but I'm sure I'll remember if I hear their voices again.
I'm afraid I spent more time talking than observing but that was half of the fun. There might have been some hint of Aurora, a touch of pink, but it also could have been wishful thinking. I did manage with much difficulty (had myself all bass ackwards most of the night) to knock 3 more M's off of the list. It would have been 4 but I had to have to much help with the last one.
M13 - Wahoo!! I've been waiting to see this one since I got the scope. Way cool. Very bright dense center with tons of individual star resolved even with the bad seeing. Kind of reminds me of a still picture of the Death Star blowing up from Star Wars. Very impressive, I came back to this several times
M5 - Not as big as M13 but just as nice. I'm beginning to think I like open clusters and globulars more than galaxies
M92 - Hate to say it but it took me half the night, and a little education (not a bad thing) to find this one. I spent most of the time looking at the east side of the Keystone thinking that was north. Once I got edumacated, bam, there it was plain as night.
M4 - Can't mark this one off yet, but thanks to Robert I was able to get this one in my scope just before the clouds shut us down.
I also went back to M51 and M65-66 just because they are fun to find. M42 was a bit washed out with the moon being so bright but as always well worth a look. I took the obligatory look (if they are there I have to look at them) at Jupiter and Saturn but couldn't do much better than about 80x before they turned into fuzzy balls.
The company is what made last night a great night. It really is nice to meet some of the people that inhabit this list in person.